Odette Dyer

2000 days of Duolingo: Can I speak fluent Norwegian?

Two-thousand days ago, in the midst of lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic, with not much to do, I resolved to take up learning a language. For five and a half years, I have exclusively used Duolingo to achieve my fluency dreams, but they haven’t quite materialised into reality. Despite my...
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Posted Nov. 28, 2025

Labour places HE high on agenda in conference season – but other parties hit back at policies

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used his keynote speech at this year’s Labour conference to stress his party’s focus on education, including announcing a new pledge to get two-thirds of youngsters into further study or work.   Speaking at the recent conference in Liverpool, Starmer declared that Tony Blair’s old target to...
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Posted Nov. 11, 2025

Record intake at ‘firm choice’ unis, while inequalities persist

A record number of 18-year-olds secured a place at their first-choice university this year, but exam boards have warned that regional inequalities are “getting worse, not better.” 82% of offer holders were accepted into their ‘firm choice’ university this year – up 9,830 from 2024. Acceptances at ‘higher tariff’ universities, such...
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Posted Sep. 29, 2025

Voting at 16: A step too far?

Labour has recently announced their intention to lower the voting age, giving 16- and 17-year-olds the vote. This will be the first franchise change in the UK since 1969, when Harold Wilson’s government lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. The UK is set to follow other countries that...
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Posted Aug. 26, 2025